CHICAGO (December 18, 2023) – On Friday, December 15, Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard Founder and Managing Equity Partner Patrick A. Salvi was honored by the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame with the 2023 “Sportsman of the Year” Award.
Each year, the “Sportsman of the Year” Award is presented to an individual who has exhibited tremendous leadership, benevolence and humanitarian activities to The National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame itself and the Italian American community at-large. Former honorees include Presidents and Chairmen of enterprises such as Anheuser-Busch, Pepsi, Sara Lee, San Fransisco 49ers, Phoenix Suns/Arizona Diamondbacks, and many more.
“[Mr. Salvi’s] combination of Law accolades, Sports Business and love for the Italian heritage make him the ideal candidate for this award,” NIASHF President Ron Onesti said.
A lifetime baseball aficionado, Mr. Salvi decided it was time to enter the world of minor league baseball and purchased his first team, the Gary SouthShore RailCats, in 2008. He owned and operated the team until 2022. Under his leadership, the team won four division championships, had 30 players signed to MLB organizations, and won the 2013 American Association Championship.
After finding much success with the RailCats, Mr. Salvi expanded his enterprise to include a 100% interest in both the Schaumburg Boomers (Frontier League) and the North Shore Navigators (Futures Collegiate Baseball League). Since purchasing the Boomers in 2012, the team has been named Organization of the Year four times, with ten consecutive seasons leading the league in stadium attendance. In 2023 alone, the Boomers drew in over 220,000 fans. Under Mr. Salvi’s leadership, the team won the Frontier League Championship four times in 10 years.
NIASHF inductees for 2023 include Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo, former NHL player and executive Lou Nanne, Tommy DeVito’s agent Sean Stellato, late Pro Football Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Steelers RB Franco Harris, and New Jersey native and Italy national soccer team star Giuseppe Rossi. Priscilla Pressley was honored with the Tommy Lasorda Humanitarian Award.
For more information, please contact Marcie Mangan at (312) 372-1227 or mmangan@salvilaw.com.
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